The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Jalur Gemilang ("Stripes of Glory"), comprises a fiel of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan or Federal Star. The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. The crescent represents Islam, the country's official religion; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers; the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. This blue canton was originally chosen to represent a connection between the federation and the Commonwealth but this was gradually downplayed and eventually supplanted by its current interpretation.